


Look, the Rain Has Stopped

by ainagren



Category: Poldark (TV 2015)
Genre: F/M, Rain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-20
Updated: 2017-10-20
Packaged: 2019-01-20 09:17:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12429714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ainagren/pseuds/ainagren
Summary: Dwight waits in the church stable for the rain to stop, when Caroline comes in, seeking shelter and hiding from Unwin. Originally written for the prompt "Look, the rain has stopped!"





	Look, the Rain Has Stopped

The sky darkens quickly, and suddenly the black clouds burst into a heavy rain. Dwight looks out the door of the church stable, and pats the neck of his horse reassuringly, breathing in the scent of hay and horse, and the moist of rain. 

“There now”, he says in a calming voice. “It’ll soon pass, then we’ll be off. We’re in no hurry anyway.”

He turns back to grooming the old fellow, while letting his mind wander. It is Sunday, and he has just been to church. He has spent the whole service trying not to stare at the lovely miss Caroline Penvenen, who has been sitting a few pews in front of him, on the other side of the aisle, in perfect angle for him to not be able to divert his eyes from her. With every hymn, he has seen her standing up, turning the pages in her hymn book with her long fingers, and moving her lips singing. In every prayer, he has watched her curve her neck, her blonde curls falling playfully around her cheek, her eyelashes batting. If someone were to ask him about the subject of the sermon, he would be without answer. He has directed his worship elsewhere, today. Useless, as it is, since she is so far above him in every way, and he has absolutely nothing to offer a woman like her. And useless also since she is engaged to another. He is fully aware of everything that makes it impossible, and she must be nothing more to him than a beautiful woman that will pass through his life for a short while and then disappear. He knows it, and he pats his horse again, his most faithful companion in the world. 

A flash of something red reaches the corner of his eye, and when he looks up, miss Penvenen in her bright outfit is running in through the stable door. She is holding the brim of her big black hat with one hand, and she is giggling excitedly. She stops just inside the door, turns around and takes a peek out, as if she is hiding from someone. The rain is dripping off her hat, and she is panting hard. 

Dwight walks around his horse and comes up to her. 

“Miss Penvenen”, he says. 

She gives a little “Oh!” of surprise and quickly turns around. He smiles, and he can see a faint blush on her cheek. 

“I trust you are well?” 

“Dr Enys, you startled me!” she says, and smiles widely. “I didn’t think anyone was in here.”

He locks his hands behind his back. 

“I was just about to leave when the downpour started”, he says, and casts a look outside. “I think it won’t last very long, so I thought I’d wait it out here. And you?”

She laughs. 

“I’m hiding away from Unwin”, she says, with an adorably mischievous glimpse in her eyes. “You see, my uncle is to send the carriage, but Unwin wanted us to walk. And then the rain came so suddenly. I was going to run back into the church, but then I saw the church stables and thought, he will never look for me in here!” 

She chuckles again, and casts another eye outside. 

“I think I managed to shake him off”, she concludes, sounding very pleased, and gives Dwight a bright gaze. 

He smiles and shakes his head a little. 

“Don’t you think he will be worried when he doesn’t find you?” he asks. 

Caroline snorts a little and frowns. 

“Good Heavens, doctor Enys”, she says impatiently. “I think he will manage a joke.”

Then she gives him a playful glance. 

“Do you never have a little fun, dr Enys, or are you always so stern?”

He opens his mouth to say something, but before he can come up with anything, she takes another peek out the door, and then quickly retrieves behind the stable wall beside the door. 

“He is coming”, she whispers and gives Dwight a begging glance. “Oh, please, doctor Enys, don’t give me away!”

She presses her back against the wall to make herself invisible, her eyes sparkling.

He smiles back at her and blinks with one eye. 

Unwin is walking with long, hurried steps through the rain, clasping a black umbrella, clearly annoyed. He is just about to pass the stables, when he looks up and sees Dwight in the doorway. He stops and greets him by nodding his head a little and touching the brim of his hat.

“Dr Enys.”  
“Mr Trevaunance.”  
“Excuse me for disturbing, but have you by any chance seen miss Penvenen?”

Dwight clears his throat. 

“I believe I saw her at the service earlier”, he replies calmly.  
In the corner of his eye he can see Caroline biting her glove.  
Unwin nods.  
“Yes, of course”, he says with restraint. “But now she seems to have disappeared. We were going to walk back to Killewarren together, but the wretched rain made her run back for shelter in the church. And now, she is nowhere to be found.”  
“I’m sure it will pass soon enough”, Dwight says. “I’m waiting here myself till the shower is gone. Would you care to join me?”  
Caroline shakes her head heavily, but Dwight pretends he doesn’t notice.  
“No, thank you”, Unwin says, with a slight frown. “I think I will go back to the church. I’m sure she is there, somewhere.”  
Dwight touches his hat.  
“Good day to you then”, he says. 

As Unwin trots off, water splashing around his shoes, Caroline bursts into a sparkling laughter. Dwight looks at her and grins widely. 

“Oh, doctor Enys”, she manages between giggles, “thank you! That was amazing! But what if he had come in here? He would have been furious!”  
Dwight laughs a little, too.  
“I knew he would never accept to share a shelter with me”, he says. “Don’t you feel even a little bit bad about fooling him?”  
Caroline lifts her chin in defiance.  
“Not the slightest”, she says. “He’s been chasing me since London, he can have it.”

The creaking sound of a horse and carriage arriving reaches them, and Caroline puts her head out the door and waves. 

“It’s Uncle Ray’s carriage for me”, she says.  
She turns around and gives Dwight a cheeky smile. 

“Thank you for assisting me today, doctor Enys”, she says. “Who knows, I might be asking for your services again, sometime.”

He bows quickly.  
“I’m happy to oblige, madam.”

“Look, the rain has stopped!” she says.  
He looks up to the clearing sky, where patches of blue can be seen in midst of all the grey. A ray of sunlight is reflected in Caroline’s hair. 

“I bid you good day”, he says. 

Caroline hurries to the carriage, and Dwight turns back to his horse. 

“Time to go home then, lad”, he says. 

He leads the horse out and mounts him. The air is fresh and the nature is lush after the short but heavy shower. He fills his lungs with great delight. What a lovely day this is! For some reason, it seems he just can’t wipe that grin off his face.


End file.
